Pineville () is a home rule-class city in Bell County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 1,732 as of the 2010 census. It is located on a small strip of land between the Cumberland River and Pine Mountain.
History
Pineville is one of the oldest settlements in Kentucky, located at the crossing of the Cumberland River by the Wilderness Road. It was established as Cumberland Ford in 1781 and formed part of Governor Isaac Shelby's land tracts. When Bell County was formed in 1867, Cumberland Ford was formally laid off; local landowner J.J. Gibson's 1869 land grant permitted it to be selected as the county seat, but the courthouse was not completed until 1871. The settlement was renamed "Pineville" in 1870 and formally incorporated in 1873.
One of the earliest branches of the Sojourner Truth Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was formed in Pineville in 1906 with 15 members - at the time, it was affiliated with the white women's branch of the Kentucky WCTU.
Its riverside location has made it subject to flooding, including a devastating incident on April 4, 1977, in which a floodwall built in 1952 was overwhelmed and 200 houses were destroyed or damaged. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers upgraded the floodwall in 1988.
The economy is dependent on the coal mining industry, local family owned businesses and on tourism. Many enjoy visiting Pine Mountain State Resort Park, where the popular attraction "Chained Rock" is located. Thanks to works done by the community organization Main Street Pineville, the town is working on revitalizing downtown Pineville to its historical roots.
Every Memorial Day weekend (from Wednesday to Sunday) the town of Pineville welcomes all to the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival, named for the Mountain Laurel flower which grows wild on Pine Mountain. The first Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival was presented in 1931 at the suggestion of Annie Walker Burns, a descendant of Dr. Thomas Walker, the first European to enter Kentucky and who, along with a party of explorers, visited the present site of Pineville in 1750. Burns was captivated by the history and beauty surrounding Pineville and appealed to Governor Flem D. Sampson of Barbourville to initiate some type of event to honor Dr. Walker. She gained the support of other influential Bell Countians, and the 1931 Festival was staged at Clear Creek Springs on June 4.
Geography
Pineville is located in northern Bell County at (36.7620301, −83.6949176), along the Cumberland River, directly north of its water gap through Pine Mountain. U.S. Route 25E passes through the city, intersecting Kentucky Route 66 in downtown. U.S. Route 119 has its southern terminus at US 25E near the southern border of the city. By US 25E, it is south to Middlesboro and the north entrance of the Cumberland Gap tunnel, and it is northwest to Corbin and Interstate 75. US 119 leads northeast to Harlan.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pineville covers a total land area of , of which is land and , or 5.54%, is water.
Education
The city is served by Pineville Independent Schools. Schools located within the district include: Pineville High School Pineville Middle School Pineville Elementary School
Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College maintains a campus in Pineville, serving as the only post-secondary education institution in the city. However Clear Creek Baptist Bible College is located in Pineville's zip code and is located south of the city.
Pineville has a public library, a branch of the Bell County Public Library District.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,093 people, 871 households, and 518 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 961 housing units at an average density of about 667 per square mile (257.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 92.74% White, 4.30% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.14% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.
There were 871 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 20.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.5% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.90.